Appliance Energy Efficiency - Improving Australia’s energy efficiency
Statement of Service– Our commitment to our stakeholders
Improving the energy efficiency of products saves energy: saving consumers money and reduces greenhouse emissions. TheDepartment of Industry and Science’s Appliance Energy Efficiency Branch (AEEB) administers a range of voluntary programs and regulatory measures that empower consumers to make informed energy use choices that can reduce their household and business energy costs. These include:
· The Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Program - A joint initiative of the Australian Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments and the New Zealand Government, the E3 Program governs the setting of energy efficiency and labelling requirements for appliances and equipment. Stakeholders include Australian and New Zealand businesses, industry and consumer associations, householders and academics. The E3 Program is committed to working collaboratively with our stakeholders to provide a high standard of service and saving consumers money.
· The Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (GEMS) Act 2012 – GEMS is a national legislative framework to set energy efficiency and labelling requirements for appliances and equipment supplied or used within Australia.
This Statement of service builds on the Department’s overarching Service Charter and provides the details of the standard of service stakeholders can expect from the Appliance Energy Efficiency Branch and the projects and activities the Branch administers.
The AEEB has based its service to stakeholders on five key principles:
· Communication
· Integrity
· Transparency
· Collaboration
· Inclusiveness
What do these principles mean for you?
Communication
Department of Industry and Science (DoI&S) staff are committed to open and effective engagement, involving both listening and talking with all stakeholders. Our communication processes are based on:
Two way communication We rely on all parties being able to communicate with each other in a constructive and respectful manner. Stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback to ensure that we are communicating effectively at all times.
Clear, accurate and relevant information If you think that we have not provided the right information, or enough supporting information, you can contact us to request further clarity.
Timeliness We will respond to you at the earliest possible opportunity. If you contact us with a query, feedback or complaint, we will acknowledge receipt of your contact within 2 business days. We will also provide you with a timeline by which you can expect a more detailed response. Sometimes it can take time to prepare and provide you with the right information, but we will make sure that you are kept informed.
What do we expect from you?
Be active participants Engaging with us and other stakeholders throughout the process and providing accurate and appropriate input and feedback to inform and guide the engagement process.
Work to agreed timeframes Just as we are committed to ensuring that we address your issues and feedback in a timely manner, we expect our stakeholders to work towards agreed timeframes.
Transparency
Strong stakeholder relationships rely on all parties clearly understanding processes and activities and what is required of them as participants. To support strong relationships, DoI&S staff will ensure:
Clear and agreed information and feedback processes When we are working on projects or outcomes, we will work with our stakeholders to develop agreed information and feedback processes, including methods, timeframes and expectations of communication. We will make information available to all stakeholders at the earliest possible opportunity and will keep stakeholders informed regarding the work of AEE programs.
Reporting We will report back to stakeholders on processes and activities that are being undertaken and will ensure that stakeholders understand how activities are progressing. Reporting timeframes and processes will be developed in consultation with stakeholders for specific projects/activities.
What do we expect from you?
Keep us informed If there are any issues that arise, or if new information becomes available, we expect our stakeholders will engage with us at the earliest possible opportunity. Ensuring that information and issues are openly shared means that all parties are kept informed during the process.
Collaboration
Input and participation from a broad range of stakeholders ensures the effective and efficient administration of the E3 Program and the GEMS legislation. To achieve this, DoI&S staff will:
Work cooperatively to seek mutually beneficial outcomes By working together and seeking input from businesses and technical experts, we will be better able to identify opportunities for mutually beneficial outcomes.
What do we expect from you?
Working together Our stakeholders are encouraged to provide insights, ideas and suggestions throughout all activities, including the development of the annual work plans.
Inclusiveness
Identifying stakeholders is a key to ensuring that DoI&S staff are providing a consistently high level of service. There are many stakeholders that the program interacts with and we are committed to ensuring that each one is able to engage on those activities and issues that are of interest to them.
Recognise, understand and involve stakeholders early and throughout the process We will ensure that we communicate with potential stakeholders as early in the process as possible and will collaborate on a range of engagement opportunities including face to face meetings, workshops, surveys and feedback on projects / activities.
What do we expect from you?
We need your participation to ensure AEE projects and activities meet the stated standard of service. We expect that any stakeholder who is interested in AEE projects and activities or activities will engage with to ensure they are active participants in the process.
Integrity
Stakeholder engagement can only be successful if all parties feel that they have an equal opportunity to engage and equal voice.
Conduct engagement in a manner that fosters mutual respect and trust We will ensure that engagement with our stakeholders is conducted in an open and honest manner, allowing all parties to participate equally, without favour or retribution.
What do we expect from you?
Deal with us fairly Stakeholders should talk to us about any issues or concerns they may have on a one to one basis. This gives us the opportunity to discuss issues with those directly affected.
Understand that we do not favour any one interest above others We will conduct all engagements with stakeholders on an equal basis and all stakeholders will be given equal opportunity to work through issues with us.
Our Service Delivery Team
Appliance and equipment products regulated under the GEMS Act are registered to ensure that they meet with Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and mandatory Energy Rating Labels. Applications for registrations are generally processed within 28 days. Applicants will be formally notified should their application remain under consideration after 42 days from receipt.
If you contact the E3SD team with a query relating to the registration of appliances and equipment, feedback or complaint, we will acknowledge receipt of your contact the same day and provide you with response within 10 days. For more complex matters, we will provide a timeline by which you can expect a more detailed response. Sometimes enquiries may be complex than others and it may take time to prepare and provide you with the right information. We will respond to you at the earliest possible opportunity.
We keep records of our feedback in a Customer Records Management (CRM) system, including enquires, compliments and complaints which assist us in continuously improving our service.
Feedback on our activities and performance
Your feedback and comments are important to our ongoing commitment to a high standard of stakeholder engagement.
We keep records of our feedback, including suggestions, compliments and complaints. Your feedback forms the basis of our continuous improvement of this Statement of service and our general stakeholder engagement practices to improve our stakeholder engagement practices, incorporate consumer recommendations into our work-plans where appropriate and ensure that we are operating as effectively and efficiently as possible.
If you would like to provide feedback or contact us, then you can:
· Email us on
· Send us a letter to c/o Appliance Energy
If you would like to express a concern with our service or performance
The AEEB appreciates the opportunity to address your concerns and we respect your right to provide feedback or to lodge a complaint.
Explaining the issue clearly and outlining what you think should be done to fix it will provide us with valuable assistance in addressing your concern. Please include copies of any relevant documents.
In the first instance, an AEE team member will contact you to discuss the issue. If the AEE Team member is unable to resolve the matter, they will then escalate it to a team manager. The team manager will then address the matter and aim to provide a formal written response to you within 28 days.
Should you feel that your issue has not been dealt with appropriately, you can then request a further review. We will seek independent advice from another area within the Department to assist in the matter. You will then receive a formal written response regarding the matter. The timeframe for this review will be discussed with you and will depend on the complexity of the issue.